


To love is to hurt

by Monaerou



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Auguste lives! (obviously), M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24196099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monaerou/pseuds/Monaerou
Summary: A break-up fic.  Nikandros has a better-than-most coping mechanism. Auguste basically falls apart. It's not irreparable.
Relationships: Auguste/Nikandros (Captive Prince), Damen/Laurent (Captive Prince)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	To love is to hurt

Damen could smell the vanilla essence from the driveway. He opened the heavy wooden door to their shared home and the aroma of baking was indeed wafting through the entire place. Tracing the source led him to the epicenter of activity. 

Nikandros had most of his hair up in a bun and the rest of the dough-smeared strands tucked haphazardly behind his ears. Alexa had clearly gotten her orders to keep a trap playlist going as Nikandros was hunched over and bopping his head to the bass.

Damen took one of the stools at the island and Nik finally turned from his task of glazing doughnuts.  
“It’s 5pm. Has Laurent kicked you out?”, Nik happily yapped on as he organized and placed a glistening scone infront of Damen. Damen took a bite, closed his eyes and hummed around the flavor.  
“You’re amazing, you know that. Also, do we still have…” He was cut short by the sound of a glass of chilled milk already being placed infront of him. “Nik, marry me.”  
“You’re welcome. So answer me, why are you here on a Saturday night? ” Nikandros checked on his Victoria sandwich on his way back to the half-glazed doughnuts.

Damen took another bite and went through half of his scone before he went to retrieve the whole jar of milk from the fridge. He carried the remainder of his scone and milk and sat atop the counter near Nikandros’ current worktop. He was met with not one,but two raised eyebrows.  
“That really isn’t the look you're going for Nik”. Nikandros huffed and went back to his doughnuts.  
“You’re evading the question. Are you and Laurent…”  
“ No Nik, no. We’re good..we’re good”. Damen finished his scone, gulped down his milk and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His attempt to pick one of the doughnuts was met with a hard swat. “Oww. you’re so mean to me.” Nikandros didn’t react to anything till Damen finally said,  
“The scone was cool ”. Nikandros put the brush down and started to move to recheck the oven. Damen hopped off and followed him. “You have been at it since morning”. When Nik straightened out from his bent position, he didn’t meet Damen’s probing eyes but asked, “So?”.

Damen rolled his eyes and pressed on. “The last time you did a 6 hour bake was when your mum..” Nikandros turned around then, sharply, and Damen had not seen his best friend look so pained in so long that he couldn’t help but move to hold him.  
Nikandros allowed it but remained resolutely stiff within Damen’s embrace. “ I know you Nik. I love you”. Nikandros finally lifted his arms and placed them around his brother from another mother. Damen knew Nik was not one for too many words and so tightened his hold. “I..I loved him so much Damen”. 

Damen caressed his best friend’s hair, neck and back whispering, “I know Nik, I know”. And he did too. He had known ever since he had seen Nikandros start to make room for Auguste in his life. Nikandros didn’t let people in as easily as Damen did. But he had started to invite Auguste for their weekly home dinners. Conversations has started featuring him in personal contexts. Nikandros had even subtly hinted at inviting Auguste to Greece with them with a,” I wonder if Auguste can cope with the Greek sun better than Laurent”. Damen, perceptive as he was, was happy for his best friend. The non-commital meet-ups with Kashel had his stamp of approval. But he had inherently known that whoever Nik fell for would be the luckiest son or daughter of a bitch on earth coz Nik didn’t do things in half measures. He had the ability to despise, wholeheartedly- ask Jokaste- and similarly, to love wholeheartedly.

***

They always had Sundays.. No matter how busy Auguste was,making the world a better place one won case at at time or how much Laurent couldn’t bear the thought of seeing other people. They always met at the music school to teach the kids a few tunes, had lunch by the docks and finally a visit to the theatre. Christians went to church. Moslems went to mosques. The De Vere brothers went to theatre.

It was 10 am already and Laurent hadn’t delayed his brother yet. No phonecall yelling for him to be ready in 15. But he dressed up anyway and made his way to the foyer of his apartment building. Auguste was not waiting for him by the curb.

“Oh shit.” His heart went into overdrive and decided to park in his bowels. His shaky hands barely managed to retrieve his phone from his jacket. He pressed 1 in his emergency contacts and as the phone rang, he got his feet to move in the direction of Auguste’s condo. With each unanswered ring, his brain conjured every and any terrible scenario in which Auguste was……  
“No! No!..Fucking pick up the phone Auguste”, he muttered as the 'Can we do this later? No? .ok!leave a message'. in his brother’s voice came through the speakers.

Laurent waved down a cab and remembered he never carried cash on Sundays coz duh…Auguste was there. He dialed 2 and on the second ring, Damen’s voice cracked through, “Hey babe..”  
“Auguste! Auguste…He’s not. I can’t.”, Laurent panted down the line.  
Damen was alarmed “ Laurent? What’s going on? What’s...”  
“Auguste is late for our Sunday. He’s not picking his calls. I am walking to his place now”  
“Laurent, can you hold on. I’m coming to pick you up”  
“I can’t wait. Find me on the way. I’m using Lourdel street”  
“Okay Laurent, please breathe. I’m on my-” Laurent hang up and determinedly continued marching towards Auguste.

Damen was fleeting down the stairs, grabbing the car keys and jacket in one fell swoop. The ruckus had woken up Kashel who’d spent the night with Nik and now appearing at the top of the stairs, almost missing Damen whose foot was already out the door.  
“Damen?....What’s up” , she quirked up a confused brow.  
“Laurent called. Auguste is..” Realising she probably wouldn’t be too concerned. He said, “Tell Nik I’m fine and I’ll talk to him later”. Damen didn’t wait for a response as his heart was already 3 kilometers away, walking down Lourdel street.

Laurent wasn’t paying the road any mind as most of his attention was on the phone ringing loud and unanswered and the remainder was imagining what had kept his ever-present brother in a mini AWOL situation.  
The loud honking finally pulled him out of his state and when the red jeep slowed beside him, he didn’t wait for bells. He opened the passenger door, clicked in his seatbelt and commanded, voice tart,  
“Drive fast”  
Damen stepped on the gas but his mind was on the man beside him. “Laurent.” No answer.  
“Laurent, he’s fine. I’m sure he’s..”  
“Please don’t say anything you can’t ascertain”, Laurent snapped.  
So Damen kept his assurances and focused on the road. 

They arrived at Auguste’s building and Laurent leaped out of the car. Damen was hot on his heels. He found Laurent already pressing the receptionist for information. Had he seen Auguste. The redhead looked off kilter, prompting Laurent into a description soliloquy.”6'2, blond, blue eyes, big smile, broader than moi”  
Damen rescued the man, whose tag was reading Ancel. “Laurent, why don’t we go on up, I’m sure..” The icy stare sent his way made him change his sentence to “He might be in.”, almost pleadingly.  
They waited for an elevator cab tensely and as it arrived, Damen’s phone started to ring. The caller ID displayed Nicki but the shitty elevator network of course wouldn’t allow a conversation.

Both men stepped in and as the floors fell away, Damen, whose default setting was touch fixes all, reached out to hold his boyfriend’s pale creamy hand. A silent, I’m here. The hot touch shocked Laurent whose default was to avoid touch but he curved his slender fingers around Damen’s meaty ones and took a deep breath.  
The elevator opened at Auguste’s floor and they hurriedly stepped out. Laurent hadn’t carried his copy of the keys seeing as this was not at all what he thought his day would be like. They both banged at the door and after 2 minutes, it cracked open to reveal a haggard husk of what Laurent had known as his brother.

Damen released a sigh of relief and turned, expecting to see a brilliant smile on his boyfriend’s face. His expectations were thwarted as he witnessed Laurent’s worried and panicky face tighten further into a gruesome wrath. Laurent marched forward, pushing the rest of his way into Auguste’s condo. He started raining blows onto Auguste’s exposed chest, scratching at his neck and pulling his hair. Auguste gave an oomf and started attempting to contain his feisty little brother.

Damen was paused into shock and it was the strong vibrations from his phone that revived him. He remembered that Nik had been calling and would be worried. Since he had seen that Auguste was indeed safe and the two brothers were at it, he decided to soothe Nik whom he was sure would be worried about his abrupt departure.

“Damen, what the fuck. What’s Kashel going on about you basically flying out the house? What’s going on?”  
“oh man, it was Laurent. He was worried about Auguste. Who hadn’t turned up for their Sunday thing.”  
“……..”  
“Nik?...Nik?..Nikandros?.” DAmen took his phone off his ear to check if the call was ongoing.

Meanwhile Auguste had stopped trying to protect himself from Laurent’s attack, paying rapt attention to Damen. Laurent, also noticing that his prey was not fighting back finally stopped and opted to scream instead.  
“I’m still here man. Okay, good to know you’re okay and everyone”. Followed by the ending beep.  
“Fuck you!!! How could you do that to me you neatherndal beast?! I was fuckin sick with worry! Why aren’t tou picking up your calls? And it’s fucking Sunday Auguste!”  
“Shit, it’s Sunday already? Fuck Lou, I’m so sorry. I lost track of the days and completely forgot. I’m sorry Lou.”  
Laurent was somewhat appeased by the genuine tone in his brother’s voice and the ensuing hug also went a long way to assuading his anger.  
“I was so worried Auguste.”, he whispered into his brother’s chest.  
Auguste cooed and soothed his baby brother. “I’m sorry. I was inconsiderate”. His eyes met Damen’s eyes and as soon as Damen saw the guilt, he knew. He knew that his best friend was not the only one suffering from heart pains. 

Laurent finally left his brother’s arms, only to be met with his boyfriend’s ready ones. Auguste left to try and make himself look presentable. 

Damen just held Laurent and they stood quietly. They were both lost; Damen in thought of his bestfriend using casual sex as a crutch to limp away from heartbreak. And Laurent was calming down from the emotional rollercoaster he’d just endured.  
Damen had also felt somewhat guilty for not protecting his bestfriend as fervently as he knew Nik had done in his case before Laurent had proved himself genuine in his affections for Damen. He knew Laurent’s heart and assumed that he knew Auguste’s, by extension. He had been too wrapped up in his stable relationship that he hadn’t thought to worry for the budding romance. It wasn’t until Auguste had showed up to Laurent’s graduation party with a brunette hanging on his every word that Damen had seen that Auguste had been toying with his best friend’s heart.

But now, now he had a glimpse into the older blond’s own hell. He knew that Auguste was suffering too. And he knew brighter days were coming for Nikandros and Auguste because he knew better than most that to hurt is to love and to love is to hurt.


End file.
